US Open 2026: Tuesday's quarterfinals belong to Yonex (plus Alcaraz–Shelton, the main course)

The 2026 US Open reaches its big Tuesday: the four quarterfinals from the top half of both draws are played today at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Carlos Alcaraz against Ben Shelton as the highlight of the night session. But look closely at the courts and the day's real story is written by one brand: five of Tuesday's eight quarterfinalists play Yonex. Here are the matchups and the rackets on court in New York today — with our catalog cards at hand.

Alcaraz–Shelton: the final before the final

With Sinner and Djokovic out of the draw, the quarterfinal between the defending champion and the American No. 1 is, by any measure, the match of the tournament so far. Alcaraz arrives after dismantling Tommy Paul in straight sets in the fourth round; Shelton, from his best performance of the event against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Precedent matters: Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 3-0, and Shelton has admitted he'll need "special tennis" to beat him for the first time.

The racket duel pits two philosophies against each other: the Spaniard's Babolat Pure Aero 98 — 98 sq in, 16x20 pattern, around 323 g strung, spin with control — versus Shelton's Yonex EZONE 98, his official factory kit and one of the most balanced frames on tour: 98 sq in, 16x19 and 320 g in the eighth generation we carry in the catalog.

Five out of eight: Tuesday belongs to Yonex

The count is striking. Of the eight quarterfinalists in action today, Shelton, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Linda Noskova and Frances Tiafoe all play Yonex — three different models from the Japanese brand, plus one headline signing:

• Shelton and Pegula share the EZONE 98. The American No. 3 came back against Leylah Fernandez in the fourth round and today plays an all-US quarterfinal against Emma Navarro.
• Navarro plays a VCORE 98 (according to gear profiles, with cosmetics from earlier generations), the same spin family Rybakina wields in the bottom half of the draw.
• Noskova, the newly crowned Wimbledon champion, arrives with the EZONE family — the 98L version according to gear profiles — to challenge the title defender.
• And the signing: Frances Tiafoe debuted his Yonex deal this season and plays the Percept 97, the pure-control 97 sq in, 310 g frame that Hubert Hurkacz also uses. Today he fights for a semifinal spot against fellow American Alex Michelsen, who competes with the Babolat Pure Aero.

If any matchup ends 100% Yonex — Shelton or Tiafoe advancing, Pegula or Navarro too — the Japanese brand already has a guaranteed semifinalist in each draw.

Sabalenka and the Noskova threat

Aryna Sabalenka was the first player into the quarterfinals after getting past Taylor Townsend, but today's test is a different animal: Linda Noskova arrives as the Wimbledon champion enjoying her best US Open run. The Belarusian defends her title with her Wilson Blade 98 (the 18x20 version, control sister of the Blade 98 v10 in our catalog), while the Czech bets on her EZONE.

In the bottom half, a bombshell is already planted: Qinwen Zheng eliminated Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 coming back from 0-5 in the first set — her second 0-5 comeback in two days — and awaits the winner of Rybakina–Osaka, which closed out Monday's schedule.

Blockx: the Belgian revelation of the week

A special mention for Alexander Blockx: 21 years old, seeded 28th and playing the first US Open of his life. The Belgian took out No. 5 seed Flavio Cobolli in the third round and No. 24 Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the fourth round to reach the quarterfinals. He does it loyal to Tecnifibre, a brand he's played with since age 9: T-Fight racket and Black Code strings, with tensions always above 24 kg. The new generation is knocking on the door.